Chapter 2776: Gods Blocking the Way
Entering the ear canal, the surroundings were resplendent and magnificent, Buddhist texts floated and sank, Sanskrit sounds lingered, like a sacred Buddhist cave heaven, not like being inside a corpse.
Walking on the ground, echoes reverberated endlessly.
Sea Water had been kowtowing all the way, filled with reverence for Yun Qing Ancient Buddha.
“Rustle!”
The sound of flowing water came.
A three-zhang-wide golden stream flowed past beneath Zhang Ruochen’s feet. The liquid contained a dense, mysterious power, far more precious than divine blood by an unknown factor. If taken out, it could be sold for an extremely high price.
This was a cultivation resource that even gods craved, a dream alchemy material for Dao Alchemy Masters and Divine Alchemists.
Divine Venerable matter, worth a fortune.
Zhang Ruochen did not take any. The sense of crisis in his heart grew increasingly intense.
Suddenly, a chill drifted over, making his whole body cold.
More than fifty zhang ahead, a figure in a gray robe appeared. His face was covered in striped silver patterns, his hands crossed over his chest, and his entirely black eyes stared at Zhang Ruochen and Sea Water.
“Not good.”
This thought had just emerged in Zhang Ruochen’s mind when he found that beneath his feet, above his head, and on all four walls, dense arrays of rule divine patterns surged toward him.
Death Qi imbued with divinity filled this space.
“Swish!”
The gray-robed figure instantly arrived in front of Zhang Ruochen. A metallic palm pressed forward, with a ferocious wolf head at its center. The wolf head seemed to come alive, emitting a sky-shaking, earth-shattering howl.
The wolf howl could shake a cultivator’s sacred soul, disrupt their mind, and break their spirit.
Zhang Ruochen reacted with lightning speed. The yang energy within him erupted, his whole body glowing like molten iron. Dragon roars sounded from his arms, and a dragon soul phantom surged out along his arm.
“Boom!”
The two palms clashed.
Two surges of energy rippled outward. Yet, such immense power, when it struck the golden Buddhist walls on the sides, did no damage to them at all. Instead, a large portion of the power was absorbed by the Buddhist texts on the walls.
Zhang Ruochen and the gray-robed figure each retreated backward. But Sea Water, unable to withstand such a powerful shockwave, had her delicate body sent flying like a withered leaf in the wind, tumbling down the passage.
“Bang!”
She slammed into the golden Buddhist wall, fell to the ground, spat out a mouthful of golden Buddhist blood, and swayed unsteadily.
Fortunately, she had refined the True Buddha Golden Body. Otherwise, if any other Half-Saint peak had stood so close and endured a pseudo-god-level impact, even if they didn’t die, they would have lost half their life.
Zhang Ruochen retreated rapidly, intending to put Sea Water into the inner space of the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror.
But he was shocked to find that, inside Yun Qing Ancient Buddha’s body, no separate space could be opened.
The body of a Divine Venerable was arguably the most solid place in the universe.
Sea Water activated the Flame God Armor again, her pretty face pale. “Senior Brother Ruochen, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
The gray-robed figure across from them snorted lightly. “Truly, ‘wearing out iron shoes, you find nothing; yet, without effort, you get it all.’ I never expected you, Zhang Ruochen, to deliver yourself to our doorstep.”
Zhang Ruochen had already carefully observed him. “Gai Lin Divine General of the Death Clan. I didn’t expect your Death Clan to have sent cultivators to the Abyss of Darkness as well.”
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen looked upstream of the golden stream.
There, a white-haired pseudo-god wearing a plum-blossom white mask stood on the golden water surface, surrounded by gray mist and thick death aura, like a specter.
On this pseudo-god, Zhang Ruochen sensed an extremely dangerous aura.
It was as if the other party was constantly launching spiritual power attacks, causing Zhang Ruochen’s sacred heart to ache.
“How should I address you, sir?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The white-haired pseudo-god with the plum-blossom white mask said, “Tiannan, Yu.”
“A pseudo-god from Tiannan.” Zhang Ruochen grew alert.
Tiannan was a first-rate spiritual power holy land in the Hell Realm, mysterious beyond compare. How could a pseudo-god who emerged from there be merely a pseudo-god?
Spiritual power was likely the most terrifying aspect.
Even a top-tier pseudo-god among the lower three grades would not make Zhang Ruochen feel fear, but he was quite wary of pseudo-gods with formidable spiritual power.
After all, his own spiritual power was only at the sixty-ninth and a half rank.
“Cough, cough!”
Coughing sounds rang out.
Just two sounds, yet they were piercingly harsh, like steel needles stabbing the eardrums.
A third figure appeared!
It was a Death Clan god with two heads—one an aged human head, the other a white cat head. He stood with his hands behind his back, appearing beside Gai Lin Divine General.
His voice hoarse, he said, “The Death Clan came to the Abyss of Darkness originally to see what all the commotion was about between Bore Divine Maiden, Xia Wangye, and Tian Ge Mu of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm, and the Dark Abyss Yan Clan. Who would have thought you, Zhang Ruochen, were still alive and ran into us? What an unexpected delight.”
In Zhang Ruochen’s field of vision, the scene changed dramatically.
He could no longer see the golden Buddhist walls or the golden stream. Before him was a gray, hazy expanse, with the earth extending endlessly and hills rising one after another.
This was not an illusion.
An illusion could never fool Zhang Ruochen.
But precisely because it was not an illusion, Zhang Ruochen’s expression turned extremely grave. “A Divine Realm World! Sir, you are actually a True God.”
Only a True God could cultivate a Divine Realm World.
However, Bore, Gu She Jing, and Wu Jiang had only recently become gods and had not yet cultivated their Divine Realm Worlds. Otherwise, their combat power would have surged dramatically, far beyond their current level.
Sea Water showed no fear. “Senior Brother Ruochen, I will self-destruct my sacred source to break the Divine Realm World and help you escape.”
The aged human head of the Death Clan True God, Kong Li Cang Hai, let out a laugh. “This god has cultivated in the Divine Realm for ninety thousand years, reaching the level of a Mid-level God. You, a mere Half-Saint peak, self-destructing your sacred source, think you can break my Divine Realm World? Even a pseudo-god self-destructing their divine source might make this god think twice.”
Gai Lin Divine General said, “Zhang Ruochen certainly knows how to enjoy himself. This little nun is exquisitely beautiful, a peerless beauty. Why not capture her and present her to Nan Sheng Great One?”
Kong Li Cang Hai nodded lightly.
Everything in the Divine Realm World was controlled by the True God.
“Crash!”
The ground beneath Sea Water’s feet sank, and the soil transformed into countless hands that grabbed her legs, pulling her downward.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Eternal Return Dao Domain, spread his fourteen golden wings on his back, grabbed Sea Water’s left wrist, and soared upward.
A purple lightning bolt tore through the clouds above, stabbing toward Zhang Ruochen’s chest like a peerless divine sword.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror flew out, its mirror surface meeting the lightning.
“Bang!”
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror was sent flying backward, crashing into Zhang Ruochen and Sea Water. The two fell to the ground together, tumbling.
The ground split open beneath them, and they lost their balance, plummeting into an abyss.
Gai Lin Divine General and Yu Tian Shi both revealed a hint of a smile.
No matter how strong Zhang Ruochen was in the mortal world, he was utterly helpless against a True God. From start to finish, Kong Li Cang Hai had not moved an inch.
In the Divine Realm World, he was invincible.
“Close!”
Kong Li Cang Hai uttered this single word, and the three-zhang-wide ground fissure sealed shut, trapping Zhang Ruochen and Sea Water within the Divine Realm World.
“No matter how earth-shattering Zhang Ruochen’s abilities, encountering Cang Hai True God, he can’t stir up any waves.” Gai Lin Divine General chuckled lightly.
Kong Li Cang Hai smiled. “This is inside a Buddhist Divine Venerable’s body, where the Divine Realm World’s power is limited, making it so troublesome. If we were outside, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t even be able to move a finger or take a step, let alone resist.”
…
The Underworld Hall pseudo-god, Jiang Qing, a mid-grade third-class pseudo-god dressed in white like a scholar, gazed into the distance at Kong Li Cang Hai’s Divine Realm World.
Beside him stood a divine beast covered in long black fur, shaped like a lion.
The Black Lion Divine Beast spoke in human tongue. “What is Chan Nu Great One doing? She could crush a mere Kong Li Cang Hai with a flip of her hand, yet she stays with Zhang Ruochen and deliberately pretends to be weak?”
“Who knows? How can we fathom the thoughts of someone at her level?” Jiang Qing said.
The Black Lion Divine Beast said, “Should we intervene?”
“If Chan Nu Great One truly has some scheme involving Zhang Ruochen, now would indeed be the time for us to act. These Death Clan fellows really have no discernment.”
Jiang Qing nodded and was about to act when his face suddenly showed surprise, and he let out a soft exclamation.
…
Inside the Divine Realm World.
A spatial wormhole appeared, and Zhang Ruochen and Sea Water, standing on the back of the Space Chaos Worm, emerged in midair.
The three Death Clan gods were greatly shocked.
They could freely traverse within a Divine Realm World?
Kong Li Cang Hai was not alarmed but delighted, laughing loudly. “So this is the legendary Space Chaos Worm. I didn’t expect you, Zhang Ruochen, to actually be raising it. Good! This worm, this god wants it!”
Kong Li Cang Hai reached out to grab it.
Instantly, dense rule divine patterns appeared around Zhang Ruochen’s body. At the same time, the power of heaven and earth from the entire Divine Realm World pressed down on him, as if trying to crush his body.
Zhang Ruochen channeled all his sacred Qi into the Arhat White Pearl.
“Flash!”
The white pearl blazed with light, like a blazing sun in the sky.
All the rule divine patterns were dispelled, and even Kong Li Cang Hai’s Divine Realm World seemed like a burned scroll, tearing open a hole.
Zhang Ruochen pulled Sea Water and rushed out of Kong Li Cang Hai’s Divine Realm World, flying rapidly downstream along the golden stream. His fourteen golden wings cut through the wind, moving at extreme speed.
“That is…”
Kong Li Cang Hai sensed the extraordinary nature of the Arhat White Pearl and shouted, “Chase! Don’t let them escape.”
“Cang Hai True God, who are you chasing?”
Jiang Qing stepped out, standing by the golden stream, blocking Kong Li Cang Hai.
Kong Li Cang Hai’s eyes darkened. “So the Underworld Hall has tracked us here too. What, do you also want to seize the treasures on Zhang Ruochen?”
“Exactly.”
Jiang Qing did not deny it at all.
Although Kong Li Cang Hai was a True God and a Mid-level God, Jiang Qing was not afraid of him.
Because when Kong Li Cang Hai became a god, he had only condensed two Divine Throne Planets. Even after ninety thousand years of cultivation, his combat power was far inferior to that of Bore, Gu She Jing, who had not yet cultivated their Divine Realm Worlds.
And Jiang Qing was a top-tier existence among the Underworld Hall’s pseudo-gods.
“You go after Zhang Ruochen. This god will deal with Jiang Qing.”
Kong Li Cang Hai released his Divine Realm World, pulling Jiang Qing inside.
Taking this opportunity, Gai Lin Divine General and Yu Tian Shi pursued downstream along the golden stream.